| P-12 / F4B | |
|---|---|
| Boeing P-12E at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, in markings of 6th Pursuit Squadron, 18th PG, Wheeler Field, Hawaii | |
| Role | Fighter aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Aircraft Company |
| First flight | June 25, 1928 |
| Introduction | 1930 |
| Retired | 1949 Brazilian Air Force [1] |
| Primary users | United States Army Air Corps United States Navy Philippine Army Air Corps Royal Thai Air Force |
| Produced | 1929-1932 |
| Number built | 586[2] *366 P-12 *187 F4B *33 demonstrators and exports |
The Boeing P-12 or F4B was an American pursuit aircraft that was operated by the United States Army Air Corps and United States Navy.
Contents |
Boeing developed the aircraft as a private venture to replace the Boeing F3B and Boeing F2B with the United States Navy that was the first flight of the P-12 took place on June 25, 1928. The new aircraft was smaller, lighter and more agile than the ones it replaced but still used the Wasp engine of the F3B. This resulted in a higher top speed and overall better performance. As result of Navy evaluation 27 were ordered as the F4B-1, later evaluation by the United States Army Air Corps resulted in orders with the designation P-12. Boeing supplied the USAAC with 366 P-12's between 1929 and 1932. Production of all variants totalled 586.
P-12s were flown by the 17th Pursuit Group (34th, 73rd, and 95th Pursuit Squadrons) at March Field, California, and the 20th Pursuit Group (55th, 77th and 79th Pursuit Squadrons) at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. Older P-12s were used by groups overseas: the 4th Composite Group (3rd Pursuit Squadron) in the Philippines, the 16th Pursuit Group (24th, 29th, 74th, and 79th Pursuit Squadrons) in the Canal Zone, and the 18th Pursuit Group (6th and 19th Pursuit Squadrons) in Hawaii.
The P-12 remained in service with first-line pursuit groups until replaced by Boeing P-26s in 1934–1935. Survivors were relegated to training duties until 1941, when most were grounded and assigned to mechanics's schools.
Commencing in 1929 Boeing produced four commercial and export variants of the Model 100 with an affinity to both the Army P-12 and Navy F4B-1. The principal differences were the deletion of standard U.S. military equipment and the installation of the fuel tank in the center-section of the upper wing.
The first Model 100, the commercial counterpart of the F4B-1/P-12 Model 100 flew on October 8th 1929 and was sold to the Bureau of Air Commerce (now the FAA) with the Government aircraft registration NS-21.
The second, NX872H, was sold to Pratt & Whitney for use as an engine test bed; apart from the original R-1340 "Wasp", this airplane also flew the R-98S "Wasp Junior", the R-1535 "Twin Wasp Junior" and the R-1690 "Hornet" engines. It was then sold to stunt pilot Milo Burcham who used it for display flying between 1933 and 1941 as NC-872H with distinctive modifications. The space between the undercarriage legs was faired-in, low-pressure tires fitted, and metal paneling replacing the fuselage fabric. At the time of writing (1964) the airplane is currently owned by Paul Mantz of Santa Ana, California.
The third Model 100 has had the most varied career and has carried every possible combination of U.S. civil registration, commencing with the plain 873H and passing through C, AT, NR, NX to N873H. It was used at the factory for several years as a test machine and demonstrator, and was then sent to the Boeing School of Aeronautics at Oakland, California, for use as an advanced trainer. It was acquired about 1936 by Paul Mantz for display and movie flying and is still being used for such. It is now powered by a war-surplus Wasp Junior driving a controllable-pitch propeller.
Last of the Model 100s, NX874H, was also used as a company demonstrator and was eventually sold to the Mitsui Company of Japan.
The Model 100A was a special convertible two-seat version of the basic Model 100 built to the special order of Mr. Howard Hughes. Hughes undertook many extensive modifications before the aircraft was sold to Col. Arthur Goebel as a single seater. Registered 247K it was destroyed in 1957.
Two Model 100Es were built for Siam (now Thailand) and were export versions of the P-12E. Owing to a ruling that export of aircraft currently in production for U.S. Forces could not be undertaken, the Boeing Model 234 designation was changed to 100E though general structure and performance was similar to that of the P-12E. Both 100Es were delivered in a dismantled state on November 10th 1931. The last surviving example (taken over by the Japanese during World War II), is currently preserved in the Thai Aeronautical Museum at Bangkok.
The Model 100F was a one-off commercial equivalent of the P-12F delivered to Pratt & Whitney for engine testing. First engine fitted was the 700hp R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior and with this was flown on June 20th 1932. So great was the diameter of the propeller used that both take-off and landing had to be performed in the "three-point" attitude to maintain ground clearance.
The 100F also flew with the Hornet and Wasp engines. On one occasion it flew with each of the engines during the course of a single day as a demonstration of quick engine-changing techniques. Because of the different engine weights, the balance of the airplane was corrected during these engine changes by use of a sliding weight in the fuselage between the cockpit and tail. On a test flight the pilot lost consciousness due to a failure in the oxygen supply and the 100F fell into a spin. Not being designed to withstand the loads imposed by these gyrations, the weight broke loose and destroyed the flying controls - preventing recovery from the spin.
Data from Bowers, 1989. pg.
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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